Pumas to set Carney stiff debut

Eddie O'Sullivan's second-string Ireland side, nine of whom have fewer than 10 caps, know that a win in Argentina tonight will advance many individual cases for World Cup places in the autumn.

O'Sullivan's first-choice Ireland have not been taken on the two-Test trip to South America and one of the more high-profile players given a chance is the Munster wing Brian Carney, late of Wigan, Great Britain and Newcastle Knights. "We have to know if he can make the transition to the next level up," the head coach said of his rugby league recruit.

"Probably the one thing in his favour is that he's played at a pretty high level. And he has been in the cauldron of international rugby, albeit in league rather than union. But he seems to have the temperament."

The Ulster prop Simon Best will captain the senior squad for the first time at the Brigadier Estanislao López stadium in Santa Fe. "Argentina have been strong at scrummaging for a long time," he said. "Every time you play Argentina, the scrum is one of the biggest plays they rely on. However, we have a good pack as well and will take this as an opportunity to showcase a big scrummage."

Argentina beat Ireland 28-24 in Lens in a 1999 World Cup quarter-final play-off and since then the two sides have kept up a keen rivalry. Ireland won a crucial group game, by 16-15, in Adelaide during the last World Cup.

The Ulster fly-half Paddy Wallace, last season's Six Nations back-up to Ronan O'Gara, said: "We've had great history with the Pumas over the last decade, we've had a lot of tough battles and we expect another one on Saturday. It was great for the Pumas in 1999, it was great for Ireland in 2003, so it will be a good test for a young Irish side against a more experienced Pumas side."

At the World Cup in September the two sides will be grouped with France, Namibia and Georgia. "If I were French I'd send somebody to Argentina to watch the series," O'Sullivan said.